Cancer Bracelets or Horribly Innapropriate Hypocrite Sticks? I Decide.
 

Grabbed this off of TF, food for thought. Still not sure how I feel about it

Original article:

http://www.colombiannecktie.com/index.php?id=11

it is all about being the chosen ones, or to be noticed.We all donate money to research, charity or shelters. I lost many friends to cancer. Always at the office you donate money to cancer research or care, and they always ask you to ware the ribbons, for what? i know I donated, don't need to show the rest of the world... does the rest of the world really care? I would care if Bill Gates donated say 20 Billion to cancer research, I would be proud, but as every penny counts, and we are all donated to our bright future. My 2 cents.

http://www.colombiannecktie.com/imag...1113884696.jpg
I love this picture

i agree, it's become trivialized and marginalized. Its no longer on the fringes but hit mainstream so hard that it can no be lumped into, "OMG, I'm so tired of hearing about this cancer thing..."

I'd chip in that heaven forbid they not waste the money in making the bracelets, as token an amount as that might be, and forward the entire donation on to the research. I agree with Super Model, I'm not aiming to make the donations to be noticed, if I donate it's because I feel that the cause is worthy and deserves to be helped in anyway that I can.

Of course donations should be made out of a conviction that the cause is worthy. However, the people who are going to donate on that basis are going to do so regardless of the trinkets given in response, and there may be some who donate based on having seen the trinket and gotten the idea there, and others who buy the wrist band because it's cool to have one. In any of these cases, the charity is getting the money.

I also see nothing wrong with taking a little pride in having donated to a good cause. I have O negative blood, which makes me a universal donor, so I make it a point to donate whenever I can (sometimes I get turned down because of my weight; you have to weigh 110 at my local blood bank, and if I show up weighing 108, it's no dice for me. Idiots), but I'm not driving around with one of thos plate frames declaring me an X-gallon donor. I do it because it makes me feel good, but others may need a little incentive, and I see no harm in giving them one.

Although some causes are overexposed, as it may be so in this case.

Anything that gets a cause out there and gets it some Noterity among the apathetic masses is a good thing in my humble opinion.

thanks,

Sweetpea

I agree with Gilda. Though many of us donate without needing something in return, a lot of people don't feel the same. People want to be recognized with something more than our own good karma for doing something good. If this wasn't the case, then I have a feeling there would be more people donating.

As long as these people are donating the money, does it really matter if they do it out of true good will? Yes, the fundrasing organizations lose a bit of cash on the production of the bracelets, but I have a feeling it's marginal.

I don't think that cancer research will be cheapened because of the popularity and fad-like quality of the bracelets. At least I hope that it isn't!

I don't think the apathetic masses need a bracelet to make them think of breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute estimates that over 40,000 women will die this year alone, over 400 men will also die of breast cancer. Among those afflicted: my girlfriend's grandmas (both sides), and her aunt, my grandma, and many other family members.

"Overexposed"? I'd say anyone crass enough to think of breast cancer awareness as a passing fad needs to grow up and realize that this is just the beginning.

So, if they think its trendy, and thats why they wear the braclets... so what? The charity still got the money out of them. I understand the principle of the article, but none the less, donations are donations, regardless of the moral reasons why the money was donated.

I agree with with krwlz, although not all the right motives are being purchasing and wearing the bracelets, they are still making a fortune in the name of cancer research...and that is a good thing overall. By making them trendy they targeted a group of people that usually would not donate money to things such as cancer research, thus raising more money. All the more power to them in my opinion.

I also agree with krwlz. The cause is good, so who cares what someone's motives for buying the bracelet are? There is so much other crap that we waste our money on, why not have it go to a good cause?

Gawsh, it so fucking horrible that people are spending money on cancer research.

Maybe if "joe" should get of his high horse and start complaining about something that matters. Seriously, does this guy get all bent out of shape when he sees someone wearing a "Race For the Cure" shirt? He needs to pull his head out of his ass. This guy is seriously complaining about the fact that donating money for cancer research is trendy? Aww waaah waaah all these people are donating money for a good cause and all i can do is complain about how "mainstream" it is.

It sounds like joe thinks he's the only one who truly understands cancer. Fuck that, everyone, and i mean everyone has been affected in some form or another by cancer. If someone wants to spend a dollar and wear the bracelet they should be able to do so without suffering the slings and arrows of bitter hipsters such as joe.

People buy poppies to wear Rememberance day. The money goes to war Veterans. People donate money to breast cancer & wear a pink ribbon. Ditto for Aids, and many, many other charitable foundations.
I think its a great idea. In fact, I am going to be getting bracelets made for our own small charity to sell. Every penny helps someone in need.
Its no different than having to invest in a TV or Dream Home to raffle off to make money for charity. We have to be ingenious to keep that money coming in. All profits go to the foundations, whats the problem?

My cousin (she's just turned 13) came home from school the other day and asked her mom for five bucks to buy a couple of those "yellow bandie thingies for cancer" because all the cool kids are wearing them. Apparently, there's quite a market for these little things. A kid in her class is selling them for $2.50 a pop. My math is fuzzy, but isn't that like 100%+ in markup?

He's either a dispicable little snot, or brilliant. Honest to god, I really can't say which.

How terrible that a fund raising device has entered into pop culture. They should give the money back!!! :/sarcasm:

So what if its become trendy? Its doing its job by raising money to help fight cancer. BFD. I've got three different bands. One is the yellow LiveStrong. One my son at Purdue gave me, its black and says Boilers on it. And a Cubs 'believe' blue band. Not sure if the Purdue band benefitted any charity. The Cubs band, did. Sold for $2 and the proceeds went to Cubs Care, the team's charitable organization. For many years I could have donated directly to Cubs Care, but didn't. Then they release the blue bands and I order ten. THe concept works, trendy or not.

The article smacks of... "They ain't keepin' it real". This is the same attiture that mocks anyone who succumbs to a trend.

You know what? Trends happend. People buy in. Part of me wishes this wasn't the case but what can I do about it?

In this case, however, there is the added benefit that some $$$ is going to cancer research... and that just isn't a bad thing no matter how you paint it.

Someone wearing a "race for the cure" teeshirt would definitely not upset the author. He is annoyed that a legitimate cause, cancer research, is being trivialized as a fad. I think you missed his point entirely.

After reading some more opinion's, I think I'm beginning to side with "joe." Many of you strike me as slightly naive when it comes to mainstream culture. Let me describe what I witnessed last week. I was sitting in the dining/student life hall in my college, and two Asian students were running a fundraising table. They posed the same question to every passerby. "Can you spare one dollar for cancer research?" They received about 3-4 donations in the hour i watched them (I was doing homework nearby). I'd estimate at least 100 people walked by. I would say for every one donation, they met abject rudeness from another person. Some of the people who refused to even make eye contact with the kids or venture a response, were wearing that magestic bracelet.

Now imagine a hypothetical:
Replace the Asian kids with two of our famed vandy girls, and give them a box of yellow bracelets. I guarantee there would be a long line of people waiting to live strong. So has charity in this country become a quid pro quo? Do we need something to show for our meager contributions? And no this does not apply to people who give their kidneys, gallons of blood, or months of time training for marathons. These people should clearly celebrate their accomplishments.

I'm glad some money has been raised for cancer research. I know many many people bought the bracelets for nobel reason, but at some level I know the end result of the fad will be mass hypocrisy.

What about the spin-offs it spawns?
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

So what if the Livestrong bracelets get dealt with like Swatch watches, and burn out after a couple of years? I just don't get the problem. 1. Cancer research gets some additional funding, 2. Cancer research gets some additional awareness, 3. Five years from now there will still be some people wearing the bracelets, and they can serve as conversation starters to up awareness later. I don't think the issue of cancer, nor the research are trivialized by this trend, any more than they were trivialized before hand. People who care will continue to care, people who don't will not. This way, additional $$$ is collected. If you're mad that people don't care, that's a separate issue, in my opinion.

Problem is, they're treated like limited edition shoes and traded on ebay, where those who have a bunch if them keep the profits and don't pass them onto cancer research.
Especially the cheap copies.

This is little different from the trend of AIDS ribbons a decade or so back - every celebrity was wearing a little red ribbon every time they were in front of a camera. And now there are ribbons in every conceivable color for every conceivable cause, and you can get giant ribbon-shaped magnets to slap on the back of your car (much less permanent and damaging than a bumper sticker :rolleyes: ). And I don't know what good it's done. Raising awareness (and research money) is always good, but how many people wore the ribbons, or now wear the bracelets, because they're trendy, rather than because they really support the cause? Are they really educated any better now than they were before they got their trinket du jour? Is public awareness and education about the relevant issue really improved by this or not? Judging by people's behavior (AIDS rates are up in some populations, people are still engaging in cancer-risk behaviors like sedentary lifestyles, smoking, bad diet, etc.).

exactly what I meant about marginalizing the awareness.

I recall one comedian specifically harping on the different colored ribbons and not even understanding what cause it was for...

After looking at this site, it's even more ridiculous now than ever before...
http://www.gargaro.com/ribbons.html

and why the AIDS ribbon is red.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3250251.stm

My mom is dying of cancer (multiple myeloma) and has been taken off of chemo because it is not working anymore. While she is still walking sometimes without her walker, we know it is a limited time before she will succumb. She also wears a bracelet, because she likes the idea of someone being able to beat the disease. A neighbors kid wears one on each wrist because he thinks its cool. So I see both sides. I don't wear one, even though my father died of cancer 13 years ago.

Not sure I like this trend. I just went through the whole breast cancer deal over the last 4 months. while I think that every dollar contributed to research helps (I've got to wonder at how much money is needed after all that has been raised over the years since Terry Fox performed his own brand of heroism) I have an instinctive antipathy for bandwagon jumping, or hyped up, trendy trend trends... (I have yet to see the Titanic movie).

I wonder at where all these bracelettes will be in 5 years time...

perhaps people do need something to show for their donations. although, this hasn't ever been otherwise as much as I can tell. donations have always been tax write-offs (so in that case, not even really giving much) and donations to institutions have always been met with some kind of recognition--a plaque, a building, or monument, etc.

I think you should test your hypothesis. grab a box of bands and go see if you get a long line of people. I don't think you'll get the response you suspect. But at least you'll have donated to cancer research even if the bands don't sell.


Didn't they already donate a dollar?

I don't know that these bands are raising awaremess, and yes the meaning will be lost on many who wear them; however, I fail to see how they are taking away awareness, relative to the level it was before they were produced. If this is a generalized feeling of displeasure over trends/fads, then I would have to say that in my personal opinion, being angry about the group simian behavior of humans is not worthwhile. We do it. Might as well get mad at water for being wet.

pocon, janey - I'm sorry to hear about your situations.

I know the Livestrong bracelets were in short supply. They were a buck a pop and they didnt figure people would go crazy over them. They sold out and were unable to keep up with demand forever - probably why shameless hussies were selling them on eBay for a markup.

Sometimes, doing a good thing will bring out the best in people - but it is also bound to attract the dreggs of society.

I hate the fact that there are many, many children (and adults) wearing these things without knowing why they're wearing them.

I love the fact that, regardless of why they're wearing them, that money is still going to cancer research.

How much has Lance's foundation made from these bracelets? Over 40 million have been (legitimately) purchased. That money is more than they had before. That's the bottom line, folks.

I'm disgusted by the companies that create fake bracelets or mark up the current ones, without donating that extra money to the foundation.

I'm ambivalent about the other charities that have come up with their own bracelets. On one hand, yes, they're saturating a market; on the other, if the ultimate goal is to raise money, and they can do so by using this idea, why shouldn't they?

It's not about being recognized for donating a dollar to cancer or aids or MS or other things. It's not about looking cool or doing it because someone else is doing it or because it is the latest fad. It's about bringing an awareness to a particular cause, cancer research in this case.

Some people that's the only way the are aware of cancer research and that's the only time they ever contribute, so what's the problem?

40mil!? thats like half of his nike endorsement /cynic out

If this does indeed result in mass hypocrisy, so what? The majority of people are hypocrites already. Would you be happier if the masses were spending their money on something that contributed nothing to cancer research? Do you think that cancer research charities should give every prospective donor an assessment test to determine whether they grasp the gravity of cancer?

I'm not naive to mainstream culture, i just know that it makes no sense to complain about the exploitation of mainstream culture for the benefit of a very worthy cause. Do you realize how rare it is for "the masses" of people to spend money on something worthwhile? Chances are that the people who buy these bracelets and don't "appreciate" cancer like joe thinks they should wouldn't appreciate cancer regardless of whether they bought the bracelet or not. That still doesn't change the fact that nike figured out how to market donations to cancer research. That still doesn't change the fact that even if cancer research is just a fad for a certain trendy portion of the population, the bracelets are still getting people who wouldn't donate money to cancer research to donate money to cancer research.

I think joe is naive if he thinks that complaining about the trendiness of trendy people makes him seem witty or caustic or cynical. Real cynics know that complaining about something you have no power to change is for amateurs.

Damn I love me some filtherton.

That...and it's easier to switch over when the winds of changing opinion shift direction. ;)

Thank you sir. :thumbsup: